Safety clasp



l Matth 4 1924.

S AFETY CLAS P Filed Feb. 5, 1921 Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

1,485,854 @meer JAMES J. JOYCE, or PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SAFETY CLASP.

Application filed February 3, 1921. Seri-a1 No.: 442,132.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES J. JOYCE, aV

citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safety clasp for -use upon documents, letters, 'sealed orders,

or other important articles, to be conveyed by mail or otherwise, with secrecy.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a safety clasp 4which is simple in construction, easy of operation, and inexpensive to manufacture.

vAfurther object of theV inventionis the provision of a safety clasp iwhich will eifectively clasp and lock an envelope or the like, in such manner, that the contents thereof cannot be ascertained without destruction to the envelope, or the clasp itself.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionV will be apparent during the courseof thefollowing detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, .forming a part lof this specification, and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the same: Y

Figure 1 is a rearelevation of an envelope showing the safety clasp locked thereto.V I

Figure 2 is a perspectiveview showing the safety clasp. V

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectionall view of an envelope showing the safety clasp attached thereto, andV in position about to be sealed.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of an envelope v showing the safety clasp attached thereto in sealed position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the'safety clasp locking means.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the safetyclasp in. its undeveloped position.

view showing being locked.A

the safety clasp in the act of Figure 8 is afragmentary plan view of an end section of the safety clasp showing, a,

modified form.

In the drawings, wherein forthe purposel Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional.v

envelope yto maintain the contents thereof secret. l

The safety'cla'sp B comprises the end sections 10 and 11, having one terminalthereof connected by the intermediate section 12. The sections .10, 11 andv 12 being preferably stamped'from a singlepiece of material, in

ings and bent to a substantially Z-formation, upon the dotted Vlines 18, in substantially the formationshown in Figure 2 of the drawings. lThe intermediate section 12 is provided with slots 14 and 15 disposed near the ends 'of' the -intermediate section 12, at the point of connection with the end sections 11 and 10 respectively.

The free end of the section 10 is provided with a reduced portion 16 having va point position as shown in Figure 6 ofthe draw- Vslightly narrower in width than the slot'14,

and adapted for insertion thereinto in a pointed arrow head 21 thereon; which vin reality is formedby the recesses22, which l are stamped in the reduced portion 20 at an anglesubstantially 45 to the axis of the end section 11, thusformingthe barbed ends 23,

more fully disclosed.

For `commercial use, the safety clasp is ings, with the end sections 16 and 2O bentV at substantially` right angles to their conf necting end sections 10 and 11, and pointed in the directionl of the intermediate sec- L tion 12.

In 'the application ofthe improvedsafety clasp to an ordinary envelope, the safety clasp is disposedju'pon the rear side 25 of? the envelope in such manner that therear side 25 supports the safety vclasp B, with the end sectionv 10 depending within the en,

manner shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, for maintaining the safely clasp upon an article. The free end of the section 11 is pro- -vided with thereduced end 2O having the 80 n ve5: the purposev of which will be hereinafter velope, and intermediate the ends'thereof.

, The first operation is that .of pressing upon the front 26 of the envelope and against the face of the end section 10 in such manner,

that the reduced pointed end 16 is pushed to pierce the rear face 25 ofthe envelope, i and inserted through the slot 14 in the intermediatesection 12. As the end section 10 `B attached thereto for securelyvsealing the:

is pressed toward the intermediate section 12, the pointed end 16 will strilre the inside face 27 of the end section 11v and be bent upwardly, and securely clamped in the poso that it lies in position with the end sec' tion .11 upon theexte'rior thereof. The arm or section 11 is then pressed toward the intermediate section 12, in, such manner, that the arrowhead 21 upon the reduced section 20 pierces the Hap, and projects into the slot 15 in the intermediate section 12, and upon further pressure of the sections together, the point 41 will first strilre the apex 31, of the substantially triangular opening 32, 1n the end section y10 and will be bent downwardlyuntil the entire arrow head 21 is inserted through the widest portion of the triangular opening 32, and the barbed head 23 of the arrow head 21 engages the rear face 35 of the section 10, substantially as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings.

The. safety clasp is preferably made of 'someliexible and durable material and may be of cardboard, celluloid, or some easily bent metaL The safety clasp will be positively maintained in its flat position as shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, since uponentering, the reduced end 20, and arrow head 21 are bent into parallel alignlment with the end section 10 and the rear face 35 thereof. -Should there be an attempt to pry the end section 11, which Vis the only section upon the exterior of the envelopeA, such prying will merely have the elfect'of more securely sealing the barbed end 23.

upon the rear face 35 of the section 10, by sliding them upwardly upon the rear face 35 toward theapeX 31, of the 'triangular opening 32 therein.

Thus, to open an envelope it will either be necessary to destroy the letter A, or in some manner mutilate the safety clasp B and it can be readily ascertained that the contents of the envelope have beentampered with.

The end 20 may of course be provided with different shaped notches 23 for forming the arrow head 22 and there maybe even a'plurality of notches as shown in Figure 8V of the drawings for more readily adjusting thereduced end 20 to the triangular opening v It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and describedY is to be taken'as the preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe inventionY or the scope of the subjoined claims.

clasp formed `of a single strip of Vflat material, rectangular slots within said substantially flat body, said body having reduced ends thereon adapted for insertion through said slots, said body having a triangular opening therein, and a barbed head upon an end of one of said reduced portions adapted for insertion through said triangular shaped aperture for securely locking the substantially dat body to form a safety clasp.

2. `1n a safety clasp, the combination, with an article holder having a sealing fiap, of a safety clasp comprising a section adapted to be secured, to the article holder, and a'second section integral wit-h said rst mentioned section, and having an arrow headed reduced portion on the end thereof adapted to engage the iap and said first mentioned section for securely sea-ling the article holder.

3. As an. article of manufacture, a safety clasp formed of a length of materialY bent to provide an intermediate section and a pair of sections bent at opposite ends of the intermediate section and upon oppositeV sidesv of the intermediate section, the free end of one of said end-sections adapted for engagement with the intermediate. sectionV tov provide'a clasp portion of said end sec- Y tion and the intermediate section, the second end section adapted for engagement at its free end with .the intermediate section and the first mentioned end section to provide a second. clasp portion of said intermediate section andthe second mentioned end section. 1

- 4.' As an article of manufacture, a safety clasp comprising a pair ofl end sections, anV

intermediate section connecting said end sections, and having Vslots therein narrower inw width than the width of said connecting section, one of said end sections having a reduced pointed ,end thereon adapted to be inserted-through a slot in the connecting section for forming a clasp, said section also Y opening therein, the other of said sections having a reduced arrow headedprojection on the free end thereof adapted to be in- .having a substantially triangular Vshaped serted through the slot in the connecting Y section and throughk the triangular opening in the first .mentioned end section. for securely locking the sections together to form aV safety clasp. Y i

5. As an article of manufacture, a safety clasp formed of a length of material bent to provide` an intermediate section and a pair of sections bent at opposite ends of the l intermediate section and upon oppositesides of the intermediate section, the free end` of one of said end sections adapted for engagement with the intermediate section to provide a clasp portion of said end section and the intermediate section, the second end section adapted for engagement at its free end with the intermediate section and the first mentioned end section to provide a second claspportion of said intermediate section and thev secondl mentioned end section, the place of connection of the first mentioned end section With the intermediate section being in remote and spaced relation with respect to the connection of the second mentioned end With the intermediate and iirst named sections.

6. As an article of manufacture, a safety clasp formed of a single length of sheet metal providing an elongated intermediate portion With end portions bent at opposite ends of the intermediate portion on opposite sides thereof, the intermediate portion having substantially rectanvular slots transversely at the ends thereo adjacent the connection of the end sections therewith, one of the end sections having a reduced pointed end adapted for insertion in that slot of the" substantially triangular shaped opening` therein adjacent its point of connection with the intermediate section, the second end section having a reduced barbed end adapted for insertion through the other slot of the intermediate section Which is positionedremote from connection of the second end section With the intermediate section and to be inserted in the substantially triangular shaped opening of the firstmentioned end section to providey a second clasp portion of the second mentioned end section'and intermediate section.

JAMES J. JOYCE. 

